January 27, 2003
A Weather BreederGordon Peery
Here's hoping that one of our goals will be to slow down a little and to pay attention to where our plans are really taking us.
My colleagues on the West Coast have been inundated with some nasty weather lately. Heavy rainfalls have caused flooding and mudslides, seriously disrupting the normal flow of daily life. Inland, wind and snow have closed roads and brought commerce to a standstill.
Here in New Hampshire it is a perfect winter day. The sun shines through a cloudless, crisp blue sky and reflects off a pristine snow that has concealed the debris of autumn. The air is perfectly still. It's the kind of day we call a weather breeder. Long before Internet displays of weather patterns allowed you to see what was coming, old New England farmers knew that such perfect days were a prelude to some serious weather coming in.
For as much progress has been made in prognosticating the weather, it still remains something of a mystery. It commands a significant amount of our attention through various media and of course in daily conversation. People are fascinated with the weather because of its uncertainty.
In the space of a few decades we have become a society that is largely insulated from weather. Sophisticated climate-controlled shelters keep us comfortable at home and work. Vehicles protect us from the elements and are designed for safer driving in unsavory conditions. Communications systems allow us to confirm or re-arrange plans. Supermarkets stockpile enough food to prevent shortages. Yet, it seems that weather events always flummox us.
The danger of having so many resources available is that we have become a society focused on plans, rather than goals. The process takes precedence over the end result. This is apparent also in the way many marketing campaigns get structured. A simplistic example: Our goal is W, which can be achieved by adding X, Y, and Z. However, due to budget constraints, we can only afford to add Y and Z. Suddenly the new goal seems to be how to add Y and Z, and W gets lost.
As we move into a new year, it is natural to talk about new goals. Here's hoping that one of our goals will be to slow down a little and to pay attention to where our plans are really taking us. Always count on a change in the weather, a reliable uncertainty. n
Gordon Peery
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